11.19.2012

During the holidays, and always, it's nice to arrive to a place you've been invited to with a little something extra for your host. It should be known that I don't always manage to follow my own advice with this one, but I do try, I promise. It should also be known that I refuse to call these little tokens hostess gifts. The name is so old-fashioned that it should be scratched right out of Webster's. You have my permission to deface your dictionary.
This gift takes a little more planning and time than the mulling spices that I put together last year, but the result is delicious and inspired, and dare I say, better. Reserve this one for someone really special.
The concept behind boiled apple cider syrup is about as simple as it sounds. Boil your apple cider down until it becomes thick and syrupy. You'll need a few solid hours at home to make a batch, but the good news is that the simmering cider can be left largely unattended. If you put on a pot when you return home from work in the evening, it should be ready by the time you head off to bed, with only a few stirs in between.
Once my cider had thickened to syrup, I strained it through a sieve to trap any solid pieces. A tiny funnel helped me to fill a small glass bottle that I'd sterilized in a pot of boiling water.
Aside from the robust taste, the best part about this gift (in the eyes of this history-lover at least) is boiled apple cider syrup's place in the annals of history. Emily Horton's piece on the subject is a delightful and quick read. Make this and you'll have done your part to revive a classic American culinary tradition (go Pats)!
Once you've bottled your syrup, make a little tag for your bottle and tie it up with a bit of ribbon and a cinnamon stick for merry-making. Encourage your friends to drizzle this tart syrup into sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts, pie crust and hot toddies.
The stuff's so good that if you have a large enough pot, you might consider boiling down a whole gallon and keeping some for yourself. Kept refrigerated, the syrup could last until next Thanksgiving. I have a hunch it'll be polished off long before that.

Boiled Apple Cider SyrupRecipe adapted from this one in the Washington Post.

2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 2-3 hours or until it has reduced to about 1 cup. Don't fear: it will take a long time for the cider to turn syrupy. I was convinced mine would just disappear rather than thicken, until finally, thicken it did. Persevere!

3. Once cider has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, pour through a sieve to strain any solid bits. (The original recipe didn't mention this step, but I had lots of little floating bits in mine and wanted them out)! Transfer syrup to a sterilized jar. Syrup is ready to use right away and will store indefinitely if refrigerated.

Hi Erin, just wanted to report back to you about my experiment. My juicer makes very cidery looking apple juice, cloudy and dark, which is why I thought it might work out for me. I'm happy to say that I just finished cooking over a gallon (!) and it reduced down into the most incredible & flavorful elixir! I already added a bit to some delicata squash rounds I'm roasting for a savory galette & can see it will find its way into many, many things. Thanks again for the inspiration & Happy Thanksgiving to you + yours.

good question! i don't like the fact that it's a gendered term that refers only to women. in our house, and in the houses of most of our friends, hosting is a shared responsibility. too bad the term "host gifts" hasn't caught on!

Your presentation of this gift is just stunning! I'm getting jars this week for my festive season food gifts to go in. I'm thinking of making pesto and guacamole for summer pasta salads and corn chip dips on our hot summer days.

I wonder if this would be possible in a crock pot, as well? I inherited my granny's 1970's crock pot, which is actually set up to be a vessel on top of a hot plate - and believe it or not, that thing cranks out some heat! I plan on trying it out tomorrow without the lid fully secured on top. Will let you know how it goes!

I was wondering how much a 1/2 gallon makes? Just the one bottle you show? I definitely will be making this as gift for the holiday season and need to know how much apple cider I will need for all of them. Thanks for inspiration! :)

Thank you for sharing this! I have 1.5 gallons simmering away right now, although I did add the juice of eight clementines I had sitting around. Once it starts reducing, I'll check it again to see what else it needs. This will be absolutely perfect for a care package I'm sending a friend who moved away to New York. She loves this sort of thing, and I enjoy getting her things she loves (not that having some put aside for myself won't be nice too).

Such a great gift idea, thank you for the inspiration! I have a question about refrigeration. I want to ship a couple bottles home to family. Do you think it will keep for the 4-5 days shipping time or does it require constant refrigeration? I'm really hoping it has a "shelf life"! Thanks again!

Hmm! Good question. Can't say I've tried leaving it out of the fridge, so I don't have a very good answer. Are you in a chilly spot? Maybe a few days in the back of an unheated truck wouldn't be so bad? That being said, I once bit into a very rotten bit of banana bread that had been delayed in its delivery. After that experience, I've been less brave about shipping perishables!

oh darn it! i didn't have any trouble with medium-low, but all stoves are different! the cider should definitely only be simmering after it's reached the initial boil. so sorry to hear that you had trouble--must be so disappointing!